Camp As Sayliyah Fact Sheet

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Key Facts Regarding Camp As Sayliyah and Afghan Relocation Operations

By the Numbers

  • 1,100 Afghan wartime allies and family members currently living at Camp As Sayliyah

  • 800 residents in the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) pathway

  • 300 residents in U.S. consular immigration pathways (SIV/IV)

  • 150 residents are immediate family members of active duty or recently separated U.S. military personnel

  • More than half of residents are women | More than half of residents are children

  • More than 700 residents are women and children

  • March 31 deadline for relocation from the camp under current U.S. plans

The Afghan families currently living at Camp As Sayliyah were brought to Qatar by the United States government after being vetted and transported on U.S. government flights. They were told the camp would be a temporary step before relocation to the United States. Today, more than 1,100 Afghan wartime allies and their families remain there as relocation pathways to the United States remain suspended and the facility prepares to close.

Flaming debris from intercepted Iranian missiles has fallen into housing areas at Camp As Sayliyah

Camp As Sayliyah

Location and Purpose

  • Camp As Sayliyah (CAS) is a U.S.-managed transit facility located near Doha, Qatar.

  • After the fall of Kabul in August 2021, the United States and the Government of Qatar repurposed the site to support the relocation of Afghan wartime allies and their families.

  • CAS became the flagship international transit processing site for the U.S. government’s Enduring Welcome program, the interagency effort designed to continue relocating vetted Afghan partners after the evacuation.

Enduring Welcome created a structured relocation pipeline for Afghan partners whose cases continued after the emergency evacuation.

Camp As Sayliyah served as the program’s primary international processing hub where Afghan applicants could:

  • complete final identity and security verification

  • receive medical screening and documentation review

  • finalize immigration processing

  • await travel to the United States

In plain terms

Camp As Sayliyah was not simply a shelter. It was the central international processing hub for the Enduring Welcome relocation program.

CAS Today

  • Approximately 1,100 Afghan wartime allies and family members currently reside at CAS.

  • Approximately 800 residents are in the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) pipeline, which has been paused since January 20, 2025.

  • Approximately 300 residents are pursuing immigration through U.S. consular pathways.

  • More than half of residents are women and more than half are children.

Many residents worked alongside the United States in Afghanistan as:

  • interpreters

  • contractors supporting U.S. military operations

  • civil society partners

  • educators and development professionals

  • attorneys and judges who put the Taliban in prison

  • partner forces who trained, fought, and bled alongside the U.S. military

Because of this cooperation with the United States, many residents faced serious threats following the fall of Afghanistan in August 2021.

Screening and Vetting

Residents at Camp As Sayliyah underwent extensive screening before being transferred to Qatar.

These steps included:

  • interviews with U.S. officials

  • biometric collection

  • background investigations

  • medical examinations

  • interagency security screening

Importantly, Afghan families were vetted before being transported to Camp As Sayliyah on U.S. government flights. Individuals transferred to the camp had already undergone significant security screening and identity verification prior to departure.

They were moved to Qatar with the expectation that CAS would serve as a temporary step before relocation to the United States.

Camp As Sayliyah was designed to function as a temporary transit location.

However:

  • All residents have now spent more than a year at the camp.

  • Families sold homes and belongings before leaving Afghanistan based on assurances that relocation processing would continue.

  • Residents generally cannot safely return to Afghanistan and cannot permanently remain in Qatar.

The suspension of refugee admissions and other immigration restrictions halted processing for many Afghan cases, leaving families in prolonged uncertainty.

In plain terms

Families who entered the U.S. relocation pipeline expecting a clear process are now stuck in prolonged transit with no clear timeline for relocation or resettlement.

Security Concerns

The regional security environment has introduced new risks for residents at Camp As Sayliyah.

  • Missile interceptions over Qatar have resulted in debris falling near or inside residential housing areas at the camp.

  • Residents report missile fragments entering housing units where families live and sleep.

  • Warning alarms regularly force families and children to run for safety.

Housing at the camp consists primarily of temporary container units that provide little protection during missile alerts.

In plain terms

Afghan families who fled war are now watching missile intercepts overhead while living in temporary housing without hardened shelter.

Planned Closure of Camp As Sayliyah

The U.S. government has informed residents and Congress that Camp As Sayliyah will be closed in the near future.

Under current known plans:

  • Residents are to be relocated to a third country by March 31, 2026.

  • The residents have not been notified which third countries are willing to accept them.

Relocating them permanently to other countries would:

  • divert them away from the country that processed and cleared their cases

  • disrupt years of immigration processing and vetting while clearances continue to expire

  • separate families from relatives already living in the United States

In plain terms

Instead of completing relocation to the United States, many Afghan allies may now be permanently diverted to countries where they have no ties and were never originally processed for resettlement. 

Residents should be moved to safety. If relocation to the United States cannot occur immediately, the U.S. government should coordinate safe temporary resettlement in partner countries while immigration processing continues.

Strategic Impact

Closing Camp As Sayliyah effectively dismantles the primary and only remaining international transit hub supporting the Enduring Welcome relocation pipeline.

Without secure infrastructure in place: 

  • the United States loses a key facility used to process Afghan partners abroad

  • relocation pipelines become significantly harder to operate

  • future evacuations and crisis relocations may face greater logistical constraints

Why This Matters Now

Three developments have converged:

  • relocation pathways to the United States have been suspended

  • the U.S. government has announced plans to close Camp As Sayliyah

  • the regional security environment has deteriorated

Together, these developments leave more than 1,100 Afghan wartime allies and their families in prolonged transit with no clear pathway forward.

Against the backdrop that the United States government  not articulated an Afghan policy has created more chaos and confusion.

Reference Timeline

August 2021: The fall of Kabul triggers the evacuation of Afghan partners.

2022: The United States establishes the Enduring Welcome program to continue relocating vetted Afghan allies.

2022–2025: Camp As Sayliyah operates as the flagship international processing hub for Enduring Welcome.

2025–2026: Refugee admissions and other Enduring Welcome relocation pathways are halted or restricted.

2026: The U.S. government moves to close CAS and relocate residents to third countries.

Key Context for Reporters

  • Residents were relocated to Qatar under U.S. authority while awaiting immigration processing.

  • Many have already completed significant screening and review.

  • Camp As Sayliyah was designed as a temporary transit facility, not a long-term camp.

In Plain Terms

Camp As Sayliyah houses more than 1,100 Afghan wartime allies and their families who were moved there by the United States while awaiting relocation.

They were vetted before being transported to Qatar on U.S. government flights and entered a U.S.-run relocation pipeline expecting eventual travel to the United States.

With refugee admissions halted and the camp scheduled to close, many now face the possibility of being diverted to third countries despite having already completed significant U.S. processing.

Additional Resources

In the Press